Bonjour from Quebec City!

For those of you that don’t know Old Quebec City is Canada’s only walled city and is also the only walled city north of Mexico. It is over 400 years old and has managed to keep a lot of it’s charm.

To enter the city you have to drive through the gate. Sofie was totally amazed by it

We only have one day left in this beautiful city and we are all feeling a bit sad to leave

The kids are having such a great time

Sofie has been taking pictures non stop and now wants to move here

Callum has been enjoying the toy stores and the giant tobogganing hill outside of our hotel

Quebec City is incredibly family friendly

We went to New York for our last winter vacation but this year decided we wanted something more quaint and without the hustle and bustle that comes with New York City

We definitely found it in Quebec

We are staying at Chateau Frontenac which looks like a castle on a hill top

Sofie said that she feels that she is in a fairy tale because castles are always on the top of a hill and then the village is below

Beside our hotel is the tobogganing hill. It is 150 feet long and can get up to 70 km per hour. It was built in 1884 and is a winter staple here. The hill opened yesterday and Chris and Callum were the first riders of the season.

Sofie and I tried it later that afternoon and it was a blast!

You could spend days just wandering the streets here

There are so many stores and restaurants crammed into these small and winding roads

 

It is picturesque

Like I said our hotel is on the top of the hill. Going down into the city is easy, it’s getting back up that can be a challenge. Yesterday afternoon we took the stairs, all 200 of them. We smartened up that evening and took the long way around to avoid the stairs.

My legs are so sore this morning from those darn stairs!

Luckily we have a hot tub and pool in our hotel so we could relax after that long haul

Today we went to the Mega Parc which is a giant mall with indoor skating rink and an amusement park. This kids were beyond excited!

 

When we got back to the hotel we noticed a lot of security guards around the elevators. Turns out the Prime Minister of Canada was having a meeting at the hotel. We stuck around the lobby for a while to see if we could meet him.

 

Sofie was very excited to shake his hand and take a picture with him. Callum couldn’t have cared less.

 

The Prime Minister was very nice and it was a great experience for the kids.

The French have a reputation for being snooty and unwelcoming but that is the exact opposite of what we experienced here. Everyone was incredibly friendly and engaging. People on the streets tilted their hats and said hello. Shop keepers spoke to the children directly instead of talking to them through us, which is so common in Ontario. There was never a moment that we felt like unwelcome tourists. We felt at home immediately and are already planning a trip back here in the summer.